Many people support local farming, but don’t know how to purchase goods directly from the farmer. One easy way to do this is to buy a share from a local farm that uses a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. A CSA asks you to make an initial financial commitment to the farm in exchange for a guaranteed weekly share of produce throughout the growing season. Joining a CSA allows you to help reestablish the local food supply links that vanished with super-sized farms and supermarkets.
Some CSA farms ask members to work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season, but not all do. Now that the initial harvest season is here, it’s not too late to join a local CSA and add locally grown produce to your family table. Not only do you get the freshest food, but you help local farms directly—and let local farmers thrive.
Here is a list of CSA farms around Harvard. Most are fully subscribed for the year, but a few have shares available as indicated. If you do try to contact a farm, keep in mind that most farms don’t have administrative aides, so it many take them a day or two to return your phone call or email request.
Bear Hill Farm
Tyngsborough
(978) 692-4224 (Mike Gagnon)
www.bearhillfarmcsa.com
Chestnut Farm (a meat CSA with a drop-off in Harvard): shares available
Hardwick
(413) 477-6656 (Kim Denny)
www.chestnutfarms.org
The Food Project
Lincoln
(781) 259-8621
www.thefoodproject.org
Lindentree Farm
Lincoln
(781) 259-1259 (Ari Kurtz)
www.lindentreefarm.com
Heirloom Harvest
Westborough
(508) 963-7792 (John Mitchell)
www.heirloomharvestcsa.com
Kirk Farm: shares available
Groton
(978) 448-5871 (George Kirk)
www.kirkfarm.com
Stearns Farm CSA
Framingham
(508) 371-4310 (Janet Carlson)
www.stearnsfarmcsa.org
Stillman’s Greenhouses and Farm Stand: shares available
Lunenburg
(978) 621-3500 (Curtis Stillman)
www.stillmansfarm.com